


Falling Into You

by shenko464



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Animal Attack, Camping, Family Feels, First Kiss, Frottage, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Injured Evan "Buck" Buckley, M/M, Supernatural Elements, Team Bonding, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:47:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24450826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shenko464/pseuds/shenko464
Summary: The 118 have had a rollercoaster heck of a week so Captain Nash decides to take the entire team on a camping trip. Unfortunately for Buck, Mother Nature loves to fuck with him. Thus, to give him and Eddie that final nudge into a relationship, she throws everything she has at him – a big mother freaking bear of all things, falling into a river and meeting a person who may/may not be a guardian spirit of the forest
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Maddie Buckley, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 182





	Falling Into You

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little one-shot to satisfy my hurt!buck needs bc apparently that's my thing now. And so is Eddie doing his rare love confessions. 
> 
> This is probably full of camping and medical inaccuracies but I hope you all just enjoy the simple story.
> 
> Each section is alternating POVs with Buck being the first one.

Of course, the first week of Christopher’s summer camp was hellish. Buck had wanted to join Eddie in dropping Christopher off but Maddie needed help with something and he told Eddie he couldn’t make it. The call still tore him up. He wanted to be there with Eddie and, when the older man showed up in the next hour for his shift, he immediately apologized for it. 

Eddie, thank goodness, understood and the older man hugged him before unconsciously giving him a soft peck on the cheek.

“It’s ok, Buck. You’ve been there plenty of times for us. One time’s not gonna kill me.”

It was an unconscious move on Eddie’s part, Buck tells himself. He gives everyone in his family kisses. His Abuela, Christopher, Pepa. He gave them all soft pecks on the cheek. Now, Buck was part of the family, at least in Eddie’s subconscious. 

Do best friends give each other kisses like that?

“Nope,” a voice answered him and Buck jumped a little, bringing his hand to his chest as if to stop his heart from jumping out of his chest.

“Cap!” Bobby gave him a knowing smile and the Captain walked over to where Buck was, leaning across the railing that overlooked the main floor. 

Below them, fire trucks were parked in their spaces. Firefighters and paramedics on shift milled around. One that caught both of the men’s attention was checking out the hoses and ensuring that the fittings were tight and undamaged. 

“You and Eddie doing alright?” Bobby asked him and there was a paternal tone to the question. It touched Buck, knowing that despite all the fuck-ups this past year, Bobby was still here, being a supportive father that Buck never really had.

“Yeah,” Buck swallowed the rise of emotions that always seemed to peak at any mention of Eddie’s name. 

“You’ve been staring at him more than usual.”

“Oh,” Buck flushed at that astute observation. Damn, he thought he was being careful. If Bobby could see his pining, then surely would Eddie and the rest of the 118. Especially Chimney, who would tell Maddie, who would then text him to pester him about it. All in a teasing manner of course. 

“Yeah, I had to miss him dropping off Christopher earlier this morning. Maddie needed my help this morning and I already promised her a few weeks ago about it.”  
Before Eddie asked me about coming with him to see Christopher off.

“Well, that peck on the cheek seems like he forgives you already.”

Buck was speechless for once. Bobby smirked at him as if the captain held a secret that Buck didn’t know about. Bobby was about to say something before the alarm went off, its shrill cry echoing loudly in the firehouse. 

Buck would never know what Bobby was going to say to him. Not until Bobby had pretty much called for a much-needed vacation for all the 118 members on his shift.  
It was why he found himself almost grinning to himself at Bobby pretty much pairing him with Eddie for the tent, the smallest one leftover. Hen and Karen were beside themselves at that and their giggling pretty much set everyone else off. Maddie and Hen. The other guys just rolled their eyes at how Buck pretty acted like a golden retriever – happy and bouncing all over the place as he helped Eddie set up their camp. 

Eddie, Buck noticed, was looking at him like he was a revelation somehow. There was a softness to his eyes and he was even touchier than normal, toucher than Buck, which was a feat by itself. 

The not so subtle brush of their shoulders, the way their fingers always seemed to find themselves drifting over each other. 

Buck had blushed when Eddie’s thumb rubbed over the back of his hand when they finally put their tent up and he was handing Eddie their sleeping bags.

It all accumulated into the first night they camped together – the fire crackling softly and they were blessedly alone for once. 

“You think Christopher is doing ok?” Eddie had asked him after taking a small sip of his porter stout. The older firefighter wasn’t looking at him. Rather, he had his face turned upwards, to the clear night sky that was unmarred by the city’s pollution.  
Being out in the country truly was a marvelous experience. It allowed Buck to appreciate the natural world more, an opportunity that was always pushed to the side by their busy and chaotic lives as 911 first responders.

Now, time seemed to drift peacefully. The quiet chirping of the park’s denizens, the soft sounds of water streaming in one of the creeks that bordered their campsite. It was peaceful and it also allowed other thoughts to intrude on moments such as this. Thoughts of Eddie and becoming something more but the fear, the fear of Eddie not returning his feelings was ever-present. It was stronger now, without the distractions of a city life bombarding him daily. 

A light touch on his shoulder brought his thoughts to a halt.

“Hey, what’s going on inside that head of yours?” Eddie’s look was beseeching and, god, he loved and hated how the Latino was gazing up at him. Even sitting down, Buck still towered over Eddie by a good few inches, and Eddie himself was a tall person. He was a 6 ft man but it was all solid muscles. The way those forearms would flex when lifting weights or lash out in measured punches against the sandbag in their gym. Buck swallowed at how those arms would feel around his abdomen.

“Uh…nothing,” Buck lied and, holy cow, his groin just tightened at how Eddie’s eyes narrowed. 

It was almost impossible to lie to Eddie. The man was a fucking life-detector and Buck usually had no problem with that. Because Buck wore his heart out on his sleeve, perhaps too easily and he wasn’t surprised that less honest people took advantage of it. People like Taylor and Abby. 

At the thought of Abby, his gut twisted uncomfortably and it must have shown on his face for Eddie then shifted closer to him. It was getting cool at night and the fire was dwindling. 

However, Eddie radiated heat like a walking and talking furnace.

Fuck, he needed a cold shower.

“Is it Abby?” 

The name alone was a cold shower and Buck sharply inhaled at the way Eddie said her name. Curt and almost acidic. As if Eddie used it as a curse. 

“Actually, no,” Buck scoffed. “Far from it. She moved on and so have I.” Still, it hurt. The fact that she left him long before he left that letter on her desk burned him. It left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth, like the drag of a cigarette after being used up. 

“Good,” Eddie took another swallow of his beer. “You’re a good person, Buck. She wasn’t.”

Buck was about ready to defend her but Eddie beat him to it, eyes catching his blue ones in a steady, almost intimidating stare. It made him want to tear away from Eddie’s gaze, to disappear into a tent and cry himself to sleep. He didn’t want Eddie’s self-pity. He couldn’t bear it. 

Before he could move, Eddie palmed his cheek in his large hand. When he attempted to move away, Eddie’s other hand mirrored its counterpart until all Buck could do was meet Eddie’s unflinching gaze. 

What he saw was not self-pity but an intimate understanding of Buck, of how screwed up his romantic affairs were. 

“You’re not exhausting,” Eddie said and Buck’s eyes welled up. He blinked furiously, wanting to make the tears go away. “You’re the most selfless person I’ve ever meet. You’re the light in Christopher’s and my lives. And that-“

It was Eddie’s turn to look away, to swallow down some emotion that made his voice crack. Whatever it was, he seemed to overcome it for he glanced back at Buck after a quick minute. 

“That’s why I’m the idiot here.” Buck’s eyebrows raised in confusion. What? Wasn’t he supposed to be the talkative one? Maybe Eddie had one too many beers and this was just the alcohol speaking. If that’s so, then Buck wanted to slink away now. 

“I only had one beer,” Eddie sounded amused and it made Buck’s heart thump even faster. God, he was fucking done.

“I’m the idiot here because I wasted moments like this before. Because I was too scared to say something.”

“Eddie, wait-“ Buck didn’t want Eddie to say what he may regret in the morning after the alcohol was gone from the older man’s system. 

“I had some to think. To clear my head from the stress of Christopher and work. When I first moved here, it was difficult. I didn’t have anyone. Shannon didn’t count. Not really, not when it mattered. But then I applied to the 118. I met you. You gave me so much when you didn’t have to. That afternoon, where Christopher was able to stay until Pepa could pick him up. I was so fucking grateful that I didn’t know how to say it. And then Carla and you…you just became a part of our lives, as if you were meant to be there all this time. Even after the lawsuit and that night where it was just us three, that was one of my happiest moments. Just me, Christopher, and you hanging out.”

“You sure you’re ok, Eddie?” Buck tried to joke but Eddie pulled a ‘don’t interrupt me’ look on him. It was kind of sexy and that shut Buck up faster than Bobby’s disapproving frown.

“I-I’m…fuck…” Eddie’s hands withdrew from Buck’s face, only to cover his eyes. “I love that. I love how you made everything easier for me. How you were always there when you could. I should have known that that sleazy lawyer was holding something over you. I should have known that you were hurting more than us. But you…you were the one who always came back to me and that not even Shannon even did that.”

“Shannon died,” Buck said and it elicited a scoff from Eddie, who shook his head. 

“No, she wanted a divorce and then she fucking died. She ended it a long time ago because you were meant to be with us, with me. Don’t you get it, Evan? I want to take us to the next step?”

“Eddie, this is the alcohol talking. You-You can’t mean that.” Buck made to get up and he was partially disappointed when Eddie stayed where he was. Fuck, Eddie had to be drunk, even of a single beer. He can’t do this. He can’t take this pity talk that teased at what they could be. He’d rather Eddie just be brutally honest with him and tell him that they could only be friends, nothing more. 

He was about to turn and head back into his tent when a hand grabbed his own. He turned around to face Eddie, when Eddie suddenly pushed him against a tree, eliciting a slight hiss as the bark bit into his back.

“Buck, I’m deadly serious,” Eddie whispered to him, his brown eyes wet with emotion. “You’re it for me. You’re my next step.”

And Eddie drew closer and closer. Until lips pressed against his. 

And fuck, Buck’s brain must have fizzled out because the next thing he knew, Buck was grabbing Eddie by the shoulders and tongue-fucking Eddie’s mouth like there was no tomorrow.

A loud moan unwittingly escaped one of them, probably him, and Eddie shushed him by licking into his mouth like a champion before finally pulling away.

Dark eyes peered into him steadily, unwavering, and with so much want in them. It made Buck feel open and vulnerable, to be looked at like that. No one had ever looked at him with such adoration, such warmth. Even Abby’s gaze was always held back as if she was afraid to show Buck her true feelings. Hindsight 20/20 now. 

“C’mon,” Eddie pulled back and took his hand.

“It’s getting cool and we probably shouldn’t be out here, where someone can stumble unto us.”

“Afraid to get caught with our pants down, Eddie?” Buck teased, the revelation of Eddie’s confession lighting up his mood a lot. Eddie gave him a tender smile.

“I’m quite sure Bobby doesn’t want to hear us moaning like teenagers.”

Buck groaned at that. Why did Eddie have to say his name now? The thought of Bobby and his paternal scowl did wonders in lessening the painful arousal. At least enough for Eddie to lead him to their tent.

When they undressed to their briefs and laid down in their sleeping bags, Buck wondered if they were going to go all the way or do it in small steps.

The way Eddie sidled right next to him, his hand coming up and drawing circles on Buck’s chest, had Buck moan softly. Such an odd and light touch. It wasn’t sexual at all but it still made Buck hard and he tucked his head into the space where the neck became the shoulder. 

Warm skin met his lips and he kissed it just to see how Eddie would sound.

There was a small gasp and Buck let his tongue dip out and follow the tendon along Eddie’s neck.

“Buck,” Eddie breathed into his ear and Buck shuddered at Eddie’s hand then land on his hip only to pull him closer to Eddie’s. To quieten their sounds of pleasure, Eddie covered his mouth with his own. 

As Buck rolled his hips, letting his cloth-covered cock rub against Eddie’s, he slanted his head a bit and deepened the kiss. Eddie let out a heartfelt groan, his chest rumbling against his.  
Buck hadn’t done this with a man in a long time. Gripping the hard muscles underneath his palm was different from clutching at the soft thighs of a woman. And he loved it. He loved how he could grip it with more strength and Eddie didn’t flinch. Instead, another soft moan tumbled out of kiss-swollen lips and Buck did it again, this time pushing inwards to force Eddie’s hips into his. 

It wasn’t long till they found a rhythm to this, like everything else. Buck would push in and up, while Eddie would push and pull down. 

A gasp of Buck’s name accidentally was let loose and Buck realized that he was too busy sucking a hickey into Eddie’s neck to catch the moan. 

Shit, he hoped that everyone else hadn’t heard that.

When silence met the pair, Buck let out a small laugh before moaning out Eddie’s name when the older man slid on top of him. 

Buck’s legs spread wider to accommodate the solid frame of his lover. A hand was wedged in between them, Eddie’s hand and Buck let out a breathless pant when Eddie grasped both of their shafts together in a firm, hot grip. 

“Fuck, fuck, Eddie…”

“Ssh, carino, not too loud,” Eddie’s voice sounded so sexy when he was speaking in Spanish. He wished he could hear it again. 

He must have said this out loud as Eddie smirked at him, even though it was hard to see him in the soft darkness of their tent. 

“Evan, quiero follarte de la manera que te mereces – lento y suave.”

He had no idea what Eddie’s saying but Jesus does it make him rock hard.

Soon, a delicious ache curled at the base of his spine. As Eddie’s Spanish words were cooed into his ear, Buck wrapped his arm around Eddie’s neck and it wasn’t Eddie’s Spanish words that made him come. 

It was his name on Eddie’s lips. The way his lover shuddered above him and grew taut before hot come landed on both of their stomachs that had Buck follow afterward. He clamped his mouth on Eddie’s shoulder to stifle his cry of completion.

Eddie slumped on top of him and Buck normally would feel the panic set in after being pinned down. Instead, Eddie’s body was a welcomed weight and he wrapped his arms around the other man’s chest, letting his large hands splay around the prominent shoulder blades. 

Eddie was a tall man but Buck found it easy to envelop his entire 6 ft frame in his arms and legs. 

Tender kisses trailed all along his jawline, making Buck hum in the back of his throat. Until finally Eddie kissed him, all gentle and soft that it caused another whine to escape Buck. He’d never have made these embarrassing sounds before. Not with Abby or Taylor. 

The gentle, almost reverent way Eddie showered his attention on Buck had him wanting more.

Buck let Eddie settle into his side and he relished in how Eddie took off their underwear and cleaned them up before finally laying on his back.  
Buck, being Buck, snuggled against him, his head using Eddie’s chest as a pillow.

“I can’t wait till we get home,” Buck whispered almost in a conspiratorial tone.

Eddie snorted, his fingers caressing all along the line of Buck’s spine and sending shivers throughout Buck’s body. “We just got here, Buck.”

“Yeah, but we’ve always been here,” the words slipped out of Buck’s mouth before they registered in his brain.

Afraid that Eddie might regret this as that phrase was as close as to saying ‘I love you’ without actually saying it, Buck tensed, ready for the rejection once the haze of post-orgasm would fall away. 

What he got instead was Eddie bringing him impossibly closer and tilting his chin up, only to lean down a little bit till he kissed Buck. Soft, tender, and sweet. 

A little whimper escaped Buck and Eddie brought his hand around Buck’s head, only to cup around the nape of his neck. 

His cock was stirring to life and if Eddie keeps this up, they were going to go at it again.

“We gotta get some sleep, hermoso,” Eddie breathed into his mouth. “But I promise you, once we get home, I’m going to fuck you over every surface in my house.”

-o0o-

The next morning came too quickly for Eddie’s taste and the first thing that woke him up was not the sun’s bright rays but rather the snickering. 

Why the heck would someone be snickering at him. 

Suddenly, it registered. 

Last night.

Their talk and then the rutting against each other like horny teenagers.  
Oh fuck.

He darted up, the blankets falling off and pooling into his lap. Someone groaned next to him and Eddie glanced downwards, only to see a tuft of dark blonde hair peeking from the top of his sleeping bag. 

For such a large and muscular firefighter, Buck was a heavy sleeper and Eddie shook his head ruefully at that, a hand tussling the soft locks with affection.  
“I know you’re awake, Eddie. Tell Buck to get dressed for hiking.”

Shit, it was Bobby and Eddie could hear the amusement in his voice. 

“Then we’re gonna have to have an official talk once this getaway is over. Just HR paperwork.”

Before Eddie could get a word in, Bobby’s tall shadow was already falling away and then more snickering behind him. 

He knew that pitch and he groaned again. 

Well, if he’s gonna have to deal with the ladies and Chimney laughing at him, he’s not going to do it alone. 

“Buck,” Eddie called out to the still snoozing man.

“Lemm’be,” Buck moaned and he ducked further into his sleeping bag. The action brought an endearing smile to Eddie’s face. 

“Hermoso,” Eddie encouraged Buck to wake up by ruthlessly flinging off the covers. 

“Oh fuck! Why?” 

“Cap says to get dressed. We’re going hiking.”

“Hiking?! Yes!”

The complete switch of a grumbling Buck to a happy Buck would have thrown Eddie for a bit if he hadn’t known Buck so well. 2 years of working closely together allowed Eddie to see most of Buck’s crazy antics. 

20 months of Buck being there for him and Christopher allowed Eddie to see the other side of Buck – insecure for himself but yet reliable for his friends. The blonde held his heart out on his sleeve and he had gotten hurt so many times because of it. 

The worst was Abby and her sudden arrival in a fucking train wreck of all things. The train wreck that Buck risked his life over to get Sam to safety. 

He and Buck had a good talk right after Abby’s abrupt “closure” conversation and he’d spent the night comforting Buck, making sure his best friend slept and ate some food. Christopher did an awesome job cheering Buck up with his attempt at making pancakes. It turned out to be a mess but Buck loved every bit of it. 

There was a point where their faces were so close to each other that all it would take was to just move an inch closer to kiss. And Buck passed out from exhaustion, his head slumping unto his shoulder. And that was that.

Until last night. 

Until that stout beer gave him enough courage to just say ‘fuck it’ and say what’s on his mind. 

The feelings for his best friend had always been there. He didn’t truly need liquid courage. He just needed an extra nudge to help lessen the fears of rejection and being left behind.  
And, looking at Buck’s naked ass flexing as the blonde bent over to grab his underwear and cargo pants, he didn’t regret it either. 

Once Buck got himself dressed, he tossed Eddie his clothes, a knowing smirk plastered on his face. Crystal blue eyes sparkled with mirth and, Dios, Eddie wanted to know if they could turn smokey and dark. He wanted to know what other sounds he could draw from Buck. If they would be the soft, restrained moans like they were last night. Or maybe he would be a loud lover, screaming and shouting out in completion. 

“Eddie, you uh, you need a hand there?”

The blonde’s eyes glanced down and Eddie followed the track to espy on his rising cock. 

“Dios, Buck. This day’s going to suck.”

Buck beamed at him and he lumbered over to Eddie, only to kiss him on the temple and whispering in his ear. “You can suck better.”

“Fucking tease,” Eddie bit back and he smacked Buck on the butt, hard. 

“Ow!! But it’s true!”

“Ok, lover birds, hurry up!!” It was Hen and Athena cackled afterward, shouting something about ‘just leave them behind!’

This day was going to suck and Eddie had no idea just bad the next hours were going to be. 

He hadn’t anticipated going near a well-hidden trio of cubs. Nor the enormous grizzly mama bear that was about to charge him. 

Those few minutes were perhaps the most terrifying ones. 

The sheer size of the animal made him want to piss on himself and no one would blame for it. Terror crawled up inside him and there was a split second where Eddie thought that this was it. He was going to die in the fucking wilderness, mauled by a bear.

He edged closer to the cliff, hoping to entice the bear to run at him. If he timed it right, he could perhaps roll out of the way and let the bear’s momentum take her over the edge.  
With a bloodthirsty roar, the bear charged at him and Eddie’s heart pounded as the big beast rushed him. He had maybe seconds to dodge if he did it right or to die if he got the timing wrong. 

Sending a heartfelt prayer for Christopher, for Buck, Eddie was ready to fight or die. Whatever came first, he’ll accept it. 

What he hadn’t anticipated was another body slamming into his. The force of the collision sent him sprawling into the ground, thankfully near the opposite side, where the top of the ledge met with a gentle downward slope of the next hill.

What wrenched the painful scream of Buck’s name out of his lips was the sight of the bear smashing into Buck’s body, his head snapping back and face contorting in agony as the bear clawed into his chest and thighs when they both fell off.

“Buck! No, no, Buck!!”

Eddie ran to the ledge where the pair disappeared off of and he caught sight of the bear and Buck landing hard into the river. It was full from the previous deluge that occurred for two days and Eddie’s heart clenched as the bear struggled to escape the fast current but there was no sight of Buck. He couldn’t see the blonde anymore.

-o0o-

_He was drowning. Underwater with salt filling his nostrils, his mouth, and eyes. It burned him more so than the lack of oxygen. The waves tossed and turned him as if he were a cotton ragdoll, a child’s plaything being thrown around in a room._

_He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe._

_“You’re exhausting…”_

_“Buck, you couldn’t save me!”_

_Voices of disappointment echoed around him and Buck tried to scream as the deathly visage of Christopher screamed at him._

“Hush, dear boy.” A woman whispered gently to him. A slender hand stroked his forehead and Buck moaned at the soothing motion.

“Your heart is coming. Just hold on.”

My heart? Is it coming out?

It took all the energy in his body to even consider opening his eyes. Heavy and crusted. His eyes felt gritty even when closed. The water permeated all the crevices that couldn’t be completely sealed.

After what felt like forever, he managed to open his eyes.

The sky above was too blue, too bright and he had to close his eyes a bit.

“No, no, stay awake. Or the deep sleep may hold you.”

Buck tried to get up but the woman pushed him down, her small frame deceptively strong.

She was dressed a little weird for being out in the wilderness.

Where he was clad in hiking-appropriate attire, she wore a white dress that fluttered in the gentle breeze. 

The slight winds had a chill to them and he shivered. 

“W-what…what happened? Where am I?” 

He turned his head and everything was fuzzy, foggy. It was as if everything was in a halo effect where a mist settled in his eyesight.

“You saved yourself,” the strange woman smiled at him, like a mom comforting her hurt son. “But you need to move. It’s not safe here.

“…w-w-wait….Eddie…I need to… need to find…”

He made another attempt to get up but then his chest felt like it was on fire. It burned and he let out breathless gasps as he collapsed back into the makeshift bed he was in.  
A bed that he knew for certain he didn’t make. 

The last thing he remembered was encountering a female bear and Eddie screaming at it, trying to intimidate it down. The presence of her cubs, however, made her more dangerous and Buck saw the bear charging at Eddie, who was standing stupidly close to the cliff. Then, there was a lot of shouting and then the sheer agony of a train collapsing into him.

He must have fallen into the river below, along with the bear. 

“How-how did?”

“Ssshh, save your strength. You will need it.”

She spoke something else, in a different language entirely. However, the words soothed him enough to calm him down.  
Warm fingers trailed an icy eyebrow and she whispered something in his ear. 

Stay strong…your heart will come…think of what you know and need to do.

Her voice felt revitalizing to him. He could feel the fog ebbing away from his brain. His thoughts were no longer scattered and he swallowed, fighting back the rising bile and nausea that threatened to come up in his throat. 

_Should you find yourself alone and injured in the wilderness, step 1. Take stock of yourself_

Jeezus, he could still hear that awful bark of the SEAL Training Drill Sergeant ringing in the air. Sergeant Payne in the ass. 

But Sergeant Payne’s 5 steps are what’s going to get him out of here and back home, back to Eddie. 

He took a deep breath and was glad that, besides a sharp lance of pain in his chest, breathing was not going to be a major obstacle.

The cold night and hot day were, on the other hand, going to be a huge problem. Plus, the wildlife.

Buck wasn’t surprised at all to find his shirt shredded into pieces, with it barely hanging onto his shoulders. His chest and torso were littered with claw marks. Blood had caked on some and was sluggishly seeping out in a major gouge on his left torso. 

It was a very good thing his doctor cleared him from having to take the blood thinners. 

_You’re all clear; just try to take it easy for the next few weeks._

And going camping on a bonding trip was probably not what the doctor had in mind.

_Step 2. Find shelter. If you can’t find it, try to make it_

Buck realized that he was laying on an embankment of sorts, the rocks now cutting uncomfortably into his back. He could have sworn he was lying in a bed but maybe that was an illusion.

He was also alone.

Was the lady that was with him a hallucination then? Was he perhaps dead and this was just the last few minutes that the brain stored and filed away before he died?

_Evan Buckley! What are you doing? Get yo ass up and move it, son!_

The lady wasn’t here but the stupid sergeant now won’t leave him alone. 

But his drill sergeant was right. He had to move now when the sun was halfway to the western horizon. It was about to be summer and Buck thanked God and whoever else could be listening that the day stretched a little longer by an hour or so. 

That extra hour found Buck stumbling into a cave he’d found. On the way here, he’d gathered a good-sized walking stick and it was the only reason why he hadn’t collapsed earlier.  
He tapped the ground several times, to scare off any critters like snakes, before slumping against the cave’s wall.

With each hour, it was getting hard to breathe and Buck feared he may have overdone himself.

_Step 3. Get a fire going_

Fuck…he’d waited too long to get a fire going. 

His eyes felt heavy and the wall was doing a great job in lulling him to sleep. 

Just a few minutes…he can close his eyes and rest for a few.

-o0o-

Eddie considered himself lucky that all he got from the bear were minor scrapes and bruises from being thrown by Buck. Buck who pretty much sacrificed his safety to ensure Eddie didn’t get hurt. It was Buck who deliberately tossed himself into the bear’s path and who went flinging off the cliff and down into the raging river below. 

He could never forget the sounds of Buck’s name, the shrill screams echoing out in the forest they were in. 

Hen and Chimney had come running in, faces sweaty and chests heaving trying to catch up to the fight between Mother Nature and man. 

“Fuck, Buck! Buck!” Eddie hadn’t realized he was all but throwing himself down there, to get Buck and rescue him from the raging waters.

It took two sets of arms to hold him back, to press him down unto the ground. 

Bobby’s tall figure laid on the rocky ledge and the captain of their 118 unit slowly pushed himself over just enough so he could see over the edge. Hen’s hand on his belt provided the needed extra stability and leverage to prevent Bobby from also falling over. 

The look on Bobby’s face, however, tore Eddie’s heart up. 

He’s gone, Eddie. He’s gone.

Eddie was too far gone to hear the rest of the sentence until Bobby himself had to sit him down, a hand gripping the shoulder. 

“He’s gone into the river, which is deep enough for him to land safely.”

“What-what does that mean, Cap?”

“It means that there’s a chance Buck’s still alive. The way the river is going splits into two smaller streams and that’s where we’ll follow. Now, you can either sit here and blame yourself or you can join us and find your partner.”

Eddie swallowed as Cap said those words of ‘your partner.’ He was sure the captain meant it as a work partner but the paternal way Bobby gazed at him told him otherwise.  


It was 12 hours later they lucked out by Chimney spotting smoke rising from an easterly direction. No one else was out here as no one was crazy enough to go camping at the end of May. Except for the 118. 

It had to be Buck.

Eddie took the lead, following the direction of the smoke until they came upon a small alcove that was a mile away from the smallest stream. 

What greeted Eddie almost brought him to his knees.

There, lying slumped against the cave was Buck, half-naked, and unconscious.

His shirt was missing and now acted as a tourniquet around the man’s thigh. The white color was now permanently stained from the dirt and the blood, blood that was still bleeding through. Claw marks covered the entirety of Buck’s chest but they were thankfully shallow.

There was a small fire going, the smoke drifting into the air like a beacon that drew the 118 to Buck. How Buck had the energy to tend to his injuries and then find this place, let alone making a fire, stumped Eddie. He must have had help. Someone must have seen how injured he was to help.

The fact that there was no presence of a second person chilled Eddie and he didn’t want to think about the implications. Not yet. Not until Buck was safe and sound.  
“Buck? Buck?” He called out to the man but received no response.

Heart thumping in his chest, his hands shook as he leaned over the supine form and placed two fingers against the pulse point on the throat.  
A relieved sigh was exhaled out of Eddie and he shouted to the others that he’d found him. 

Buck let out a soft moan at the shout but his eyes stayed closed. The long lashes rested too comfortably against the tops of his pale cheeks.

He cupped the man’s cheeks and gently smacked one of them, hoping the action would rouse the blonde firefighter out of this stupor. 

“Buck? Evan? C’mon, man. Don’t do this to me. Not now, not when I finally found you.” He tapped the cheek again and then shook the shoulder. He hated how the man’s head lolled almost lifelessly. Buck was life itself. Sunny and full of useless facts, of that smile that would make Eddie want to smile. He wasn’t supposed to be still and pale, with claw marks and gouges covering his torso and thighs.

“Eddie? Oh my god.” It was Hen who exclaimed out loud and, for a brief moment, she hesitated, unsure if Buck was dead or not. Until she saw Eddie’s panicked expression and then Buck’s body trembling slightly. 

“We need to treat him for exposure and possible hypothermia,” Hen said, kneeling at Buck’s side across from Eddie’s. 

They had brought their emergency bag, a ‘just in case’ survival pack. When it was first mentioned, Buck had scoffed at it, joking in a way that now seemed unnecessary and almost ironic.  


Now, this pack was going to save the stupid man’s life.

“His skin is cold and clammy,” Eddie went into medic mode, hating how mechanical he sounded. But he had to be professional here. If he didn’t, then he would surely break down in front of the 118.

“He did a good job on that tourniquet,” Hen complimented on the makeshift bandage. She examined the bloody rag and then slowly unraveled it, sighing in relief when it was a deep cut on the outside of the thigh.

“If this had cut the femoral artery…” Hen didn’t want to finish her sentence. Her kind brown eyes darted to Eddie, who nodded in understanding. 

Buck would have bled out and died. He would have died, alone and hurting. Pressure increased behind his eyes and Eddie took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.

“I called for Med-vac. But it’s gonna take an hour.” Bobby’s hand clenched tightly around the phone in his hand. It was clear that the captain was frustrated by the delay. 

“Dios,” Eddie cursed and Hen shook her head, all the while her hands expertly changed out the dressing. “It would be quicker for us to take him back to camp and hightail it to the nearest ER.”  
“Yeah,” Bobby agreed. “That’s what I told them. Whatever we need to do, we gotta do it now and fast.”

“It would be quicker if he’s conscious,” Howie chimed in. The Korean paramedic had his gloves on and was pressing gently against the chest and ribs, checking for cracked or broken ribs.

When Chimney’s hand reached the bottom of the ribs, closer to the waistband, Buck emitted a pained moan, and Eddie perched closer to the rousing firefighter, eager to see those baby blues again. 

He hadn’t realized that he was stroking Buck’s cheek neither did he particularly care what his teammates would think. If the knowing glances both Hen and Chimney threw at each other told him anything, it was that they were at least aware of this dancing around routine both he and Buck were doing with each other. 

“C’mon, Buck. Open those eyes,” Eddie encouraged Buck, fingers soothing the eyebrows and the outline of the waxen face. 

“He’s got cracked ribs. So far, no breathing troubles though,” Chimney pitched in. 

“Ed-Eddie?” Buck’s eyes fluttered open. Eddie’s heart clenched at the glazed-over eyes. Usually vibrant and colorful, the blue eyes were dulled and pained.

“His body should be severely hypothermic by now. But his body temperature’s still within the 90-degree temperature range.” Hen sounded impressed and Eddie took a second glance at the fire that was just now starting to dwindle into a thin stream of smoke.

“Buck, Buck, stay awake, ok?” Eddie let his hand clasp around a bare shoulder, not liking at the shiver it produced. Fuck, 90 degrees or not, Buck was still hypothermic. 

“Do we have any blankets? Any extra shirts?”

“Yeah, just two though.” Hen was already laying them on Buck, wrapping them around the injured man.

“…How-how…” Buck swallowed then and Eddie kissed on Buck’s temple, tears beginning to gather at the corner of his eyes. Fuck…fuck…how many times will Buck have to get hurt before his lives are up? “How did you find me?”

“The fire,” Hen said and she gestured to the simmering embers behind her. Buck’s gaze drifted hazily, from the view of Hen and Chimney trying to bundle him as tight as a human burrito to Bobby talking into the walkie talkie. 

“I…I didn’t make it…” Buck’s voice drifted and the blonde’s head slowly lolled to the side. 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Eddie palmed one cheek, tapping the other a little harder than necessary. It roused Buck enough to open his eyes. 

“Keep him awake, Eddie. The Med-vac’s gonna be here in ten minutes.” It was Bobby who spoke and there was a worried frown on his face.

“Ten? How’d you do that?” Chimney asked as he helped Hen finish slapping on more heat packs all along the man’s torso and thighs.

“The med-vac’s supervisor was one of the people Buck rescued in the tsunami.” The proud look Bobby was wearing told Eddie that the Captain viewed Buck as more than just a subordinate. He was a son also, a member of the family. 

“What comes around, goes around.” Hen remarked. “Just keep him awake, Eddie. I don’t believe he has a concussion but it’s best to be careful.”

“Buck, can you tell me what happened?” Eddie was curious to know how Buck managed to drag himself out of the river and to the cave. There was no way he did it all by himself. 

“…a woman…” Buck managed to say and then he smiled to himself. “She..she said that my heart will come.”

“A woman?”  
“Does that….does that mean you’re my heart, Eddie?”

Everyone glanced at Eddie and then suddenly looked away, as if not wanting to intrude on this private moment.  
“Yeah, man. And Chris too. We-we love you, bud.”

Eddie wasn’t used to expressing his feelings. Years of Catholic upbringing and then enlisting in the Army taught him to repress such emotions. Especially, when his first longing with men was met with disproval from his father and friends back at home. 

“They’re 5 minutes out,” Bobby’s voice cut through the momentary silence. 

“Shit!” Chimney cursed suddenly. “He’s not breathing!” Between him and Eddie, Buck was laid down on the flat ground. Eddie started to panic at how still Buck was. No, he’s not going out like this!

He didn’t need Chimney to tell him to start doing compressions. His motions were automatic. all the while saying, ‘please, please, please, c’mon.’  
Both Hen and Chimney were too focused on doing their parts to keep Buck alive to comment on the desperate way Eddie pushed down on the sternum. Nothing was said as Chimney took over for Eddie, letting the latter breath for Buck.

“Anything?” Chimney asked at the 35th compression.

“Nothing,” Hen replied and Chimney kept going. Eddie kept breathing for Buck.

Until finally, Buck’s eyes flew open and fluid came flooding out of the pale lips. 

“Secondary drowning, turn him on his side.” Hen and Eddie gently rolled the man unto his left side. More water spilled out and Eddie became nauseous at just the sheer amount of water spilling out. 

Then came the coughing. The coughs racked Buck’s body, to the point where it made breathing difficult for the man.

All the while, Eddie kept telling Buck that he was here, Buck wasn’t alone. He was here and Christopher was waiting for both of them to come home. Their son was coming home in the next few days.

It took a minute or two but the coughs finally subsided, with Buck slumping, eyes closing in relief. 

“No, no, no, Buck! Buck!”

Eddie grasped at Buck’s cheeks, willing the man to wake up. 

Buck didn’t but Hen’s “Got a pulse and his lungs are clearer now,” calmed Eddie’s heart a little, to where it no longer wanted to wrench itself out of Eddie’s chest. Instead, it pounded against his sternum, thumping loudly in his ears.

“Med-vac’s here,” Bobby shouted at him and Eddie’s gaze wrenched away from Buck’s slack face to the helicopter that hovered above them. How did he not hear it approach their position?

“Eddie, grab his shoulders. I’ll take the leg,” Chimney barked at him and Eddie could follow orders. Yes, it was what he was trained to do in the Army. 

Eddie tried hard not to wince at the deadweight of Buck. How his head rolled forwards unto his chest and then to the side once his best friend was settled on the backboard. As if in a daze himself, he watched Chimney efficiently clasp and buckle their friend in before giving the pilot a thumbs up.

He didn’t even know he was holding his breath until spots danced in front of him. 

_“Diaz! Diaz!”_

_Cap? What was Cap doing here?_

_His Captain’s green eyes peered at him, blood covering the side of his face._

_Eddie recoiled from the bloody visage and he fell back against the sandy dune. Gunfire erupted all around him and he frantically searched for his gun. Where was it? He just had it. It was laying right in front of him but disappeared._

_Someone took a hold of his shoulders and forced his head to look up._

The Captain’s eyes turned brown. Can someone’s eyes change colors? That wasn’t possible. 

“Eddie! Take a deep breath! Eddie!”

The Captain had never called him by his first name. 

With a gasp, Eddie inhaled and the fog disappeared, only to reveal a worried-looking Bobby staring down at him. Concern swam in those warm paternal eyes.

“Deep breaths, Eddie,” Bobby’s voice was soothing and low.

Eddie breathed in and out, until the panic that threatened to overtake him subsided. 

Hen’s grip loosened and she flanked Bobby, her dark face mirroring the same worried expression found on Bobby’s face. 

“It’s different when it’s one of your own but you’ll get through this,” Bobby’s voice choked a little at the end but no one said anything.

“Besides,” Hen chipped in, a sad smile tugging at her red lips. “Buck’s waiting for us, for you. Don’t want him to find out you passed out from a panic attack. He’ll throw a fit.”

Eddie couldn’t help but let out a tiny laugh. Buck would coddle him for sure. The image of a laughing Buck, of his best friend who became more than just a friend to him teasing him with phrases like ‘I’d still take you,’ helped lighten the mood enough for Eddie to brave getting up and doing what needed to be done. 

-o0o-

“Buck! Look at the wolf!" 

Buck’s eyes fluttered open and he found himself in the San Diego Zoo, of looking at Christopher waving at him, with Eddie throwing him a welcoming smile. 

He always loved how Eddie would smile at him. 

How that small change on Eddie’s tanned face would always bring out the light in those soft brown eyes. 

“C’mon, Buck, this one’s on the prowl.” 

It was a female wolf, its black coat shimmering and shiny from a healthy diet of meat and a few grains. She ran up the rocks easily, finding her way up using the small openings as confident as she would be in the wild. 

Another wolf was waiting for her at the top, on the flat ledge that allowed enough for two wolves, but barely. 

Somehow the pair fitted in that small space, the female wolf nuzzled her way into the scruff of the male before giving him a playful nip. 

Christopher laughed at the way the female wolf bounded back, the male rearing up and butting his head against the female’s flank. 

Buck had seen the way Chris’ eyes lit up, the pure innocence shining beautifully in those hazel brown eyes. Eddie bent down to Chris’ level, explaining to Chris what the two wolves were doing. 

For some reason, a strange fact popped into Buck’s head and before Buck could stop himself, he blurted it out all. 

“And that these are mated for life. Wolves stay with a single partner until one or both are gone.” 

“Buck,” Eddie said and Buck saw something undecipherable in the Latino man’s expression. It was something he hadn’t seen before and, as Eddie’s best friend, he’d seen a lot of facial expressions. Anger, frustration, pain, brutal honesty. 

“Uh yeah,” Buck stammered a little. For once, even as more facts of wolves flitted through his head, not one of them was said aloud. He was struck speechless.  
Eddie drew closer to him and cupped his cheek. Honeyed brown eyes peered curiously at him but finally shone brightly as if the shorter firefighter had seen something he liked in Bucky’s blue orbs. 

“Evan, you need to wake up, ok? We’ll be there but you gotta wake up.” 

-o0o-

Buck startled awake and he was surprised to find himself lying in a hospital bed. 

He didn’t remember how he got here. 

All he could recall was seeing Eddie and the way his eyes looked terrified. As if his lover was afraid of losing him. 

The sound of deep breathing drew his attention to the slumped figure in the chair right next to him. 

With the way Eddie was leaning forward in his chair, it appeared uncomfortable. Plus, the room was oddly cold and Eddie made a soft sound in his sleep, shivering and trying to gather his jacket tighter around him. The motion was oddly endearing. It made Buck want to get up and gather Eddie in his arms. 

He tried to get up but once he moved, everything hurt. 

His chest felt like it was on fire. His leg ached and there were gauzes everywhere on his body. 

__

He looked like a chew toy for an animal. 

And then the memories from the previous day came flooding in. 

The camping trip, their steamy but not so steamy night together. The mother of all bears coming at Eddie and the panic that tore through him at the bear charging at Eddie. 

And after that, his memories were a little fuzzy. 

He couldn’t remember how he managed to drag himself to safety out of the river or even meeting Eddie. He just remembered the way those brown eyes were panicking over him.  
“Hey, Buck.” 

“Maddie…” Buck winced when he tried to get up again as if the first time wasn’t a lesson learned. Maddie rushed to him, a hand lightly pushing down on his shoulder, one of the few areas that weren’t clawed up. 

“Buck, you shouldn’t even think about getting up,” Maddie chastised him. She then noticed Eddie, who was still asleep in the chair beside him. Seeing the older man shiver, she took off her jacket and covered Eddie with it. 

"He was here all night, making sure you weren’t alone.” Maddie leaned down and she kissed Buck on the temple. It reminded him of the older days, where she took care of him when their parents didn’t. 

“I’m not surprised,” Buck said truthfully. He wasn’t. Not after that confession from Eddie. 

“Buck? You need the doctor or something?” Eddie hadn’t asked if he was ok because he knew Buck too well. Maddie rolled her eyes at Eddie coddling him. If they were acting like this, then he must be well on the way to fully recovering. If he was lucky, he could be discharged and resting on his bed, with Eddie in it. 

“Good morning to you too Eddie,” Maddie teased and she bumped shoulders with the Latino. 

“How did you guys find me?” Buck had to know. 

Both Maddie and Eddie gave him curious looks then. 

“Well, according to Eddie, you managed to set up a smoke signal. It saved your life.” Maddie’s hands were fidgeting in her lap, a sign of anxiety. 

“But…I didn’t make it. All I remember was leaning against the cave and that’s it.” 

Maddie’s face blanched at that and Eddie frowned a little bit, as if he didn’t believe in what Buck was saying. “Your cuts should have bled more too, especially the thigh. Buck, are you saying someone helped you?” 

“I mean, there was a woman there. You guys didn’t see her?” 

They both shook their heads and that concerned Buck. 

He didn’t believe in the supernatural, not really. 

The supernatural could be explained by science but nothing could explain how Buck was pretty much rescued by a spirit or something. 

Then Eddie leaned forward and took Buck’s hand in his. 

“You know, back in Texas, my great grandmother once told me of spirits. How some acted as guardians of forests and where Mother Nature is the strongest. Perhaps one was looking out for you when you needed it.” 

“A spirit?” It sounded like a hoax. Were Hen and Chimney possibly playing a prank on him? He wouldn’t put it past them. But the way Eddie’s eyebrows were furrowed like they usually get whenever his lover was serious, Buck knew that this was not a joke. That something looked out for him, at least enough so he could be rescued by human hands, by Eddie’s hands. 

A shaky sigh escaped him and he clutched at Eddie’s hand. He threw Eddie a grateful glance and pulled Eddie forward, only to kiss the man on the lips, in plain view of his sister. 

“Well, I’m glad someone was looking out for me,” Buck breathed out against Eddie’s mouth. “Especially when I finally have you." 

“Deal.” Eddie laughed and smiled, just like how he did so on their first call together with the live grenade incident. Buck sent an internal thanks of gratitude to that spirit. As he brought Maddie in for a hug as well, he could have sworn that that same lady in the white dress smiled at him from the doorway before disappearing into a halo of light. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm tempted to do a smutty end to this but that is up to y'all! :D


End file.
